Gibson.com has compiled a list of the 10 greatest guitar riffs of the Eighties
I really wish I knew who came up with this bullshit. :(
www.gibson.com
According to The Pulse of Radio, Gibson.com has compiled a list of the 10 greatest guitar riffs of the Eighties, or as the site put it, the 10 riffs "we deem the most totally awesome of the (decade)." Included on the list are riffs from acts like RUSH, GUNS N' ROSES, JUDAS PRIEST and AC/DC, along with more surprising inclusions from MICHAEL JACKSON and THE CLASH. The list is below, along with an excerpt from the reason for each.
10. RUSH - "Limelight":
"Sharing trio space with one of the best bass players on the planet and probably the best drummer on Earth, (Alex) Lifeson still manages to stand out."
09. GUNS N' ROSES - "Sweet Child o' Mine":
"While the album was stacked with heavy hitters . . . it was the ballad of the set that had the most unique and memorable riff."
08. THE CLASH - "Should I Stay or Should I Go":
"Sometimes you only need two chords to kick an audience in the teeth, and certainly Mick Jones and Joe Strummer did just that with this Combat Rock fave."
07. MICHAEL JACKSON (featuring Steve Lukather) - "Beat It":
"Yes, it had that insane guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen, but the engine driving the song was a weighty bounce by session whiz Steve Lukather."
06. JUDAS PRIEST - "Breaking the Law":
"It's hard to deny the brutal simplicity of this 'British Steel' classic."
05. DEF LEPPARD - "Photograph":
"There are actually two guitar parts interwoven on this seemingly simple blast from 'Pyromania'."
04. SCORPIONS - "Rock You Like a Hurricane":
"Maybe the heaviest combination of simple power chords ever . . . the key to any great riff."
03. OZZY OSBOURNE (featuring Randy Rhoads) - "Crazy Train":
"The churning, sinister opening section hurls the song forward and creates a momentum that never lets up."
02. THE ROLLING STONES - "Start Me Up":
"This 1981 classic is so stirring that nearly 30 years later you're still unlikely see a football stadium not use it to psych their fans up for a kickoff."
01. AC/DC - "Back in Black":
"Angus and Malcolm Young cooked up some of the greatest riffs of their career on this magnum opus, but none is more memorable than the hard and heavy title track."
